"You mean, today you met a sweet, quiet, gentle, and considerate performing arts beauty who loves playing games, and because she's quite competitive, you played 'Yu-Gi-Oh' for half an hour at a card shop on your first meeting, then went to an arcade and PK'd 'Street Fighter 5' for nearly two hours, and finally, recognizing each other's worth, had dinner together at McDonald's, exchanging contact information before parting ways?"
In the coffee shop, a famished Iseri Nina bit her plastic straw, her empty, lake-blue eyes vaguely reflecting the figure seated across the table from Kurusu Akira.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Kurusu Akira actually discerned a hint of resentment in her eyes.
"Roughly that process." The Phantom Thief ordered an iced Americano and an iceberg lava cake. The rain outside had lessened now.
The busy beeping notifications on her phone prevented Iseri Nina from paying attention to Kurusu Akira's perfunctory reply.
In her mind, Kurusu Akira was undoubtedly a "super normie," and it was normal for him to have ambiguous relationships with many girls.
The coffee shop was quiet, and the patter of rain could be clearly heard.
The streets outside were enveloped in deep, cold darkness, and car high beams shattered in the heavy rain. Countless rippling, circular puddles on the asphalt road reflected the brightly lit buildings, as if the universe was refracting its boundless mystery and vast brilliance onto the night city through this heavenly curtain of water.
But such a broad theme as the universe should be the exclusive stage for aerospace scientists to display their talents and imagination.
The city's night had long been filled with the busyness of life.
The word "life" is too short, too little can be said, and it cannot encompass the greatness of the "universe."
The waiter served the coffee and cake.
Looking at the "iceberg lava cake" in front of him, Kurusu Akira's eyes suddenly held a hint of nostalgia.
Come to think of it, he did seem to have met someone who held the "universe" in her heart in this lifetime, and everything began during the summer vacation of his sixth year of elementary school.
Due to a chance encounter, the then eleven-year-old Kurusu Akira met a girl resembling an "iceberg lava cake" with reddish-brown long hair and eyes in the high school dormitory of Gekkoukan. She was the captain of "S.E.E.S" and the person who led Kurusu Akira, who was still in elementary school at the time, out of his ordinary daily life.
With her help, Kurusu Akira came into contact with Persona very early on and mastered the techniques to wield this power.
For a whole year thereafter, Kurusu Akira acted in another world at night with the "S.E.E.S" led by that girl. They defeated countless enemies along the way, even breaking through a towering spire and resolving a world-ending catastrophe.
But until the very end of this story, he didn't get a chance to thank her, only carrying this gratitude and excitement as he advanced to middle school in his ordinary daily life.
Middle school and high school were very close, but Kurusu Akira could no longer see that adorable and cunning senior with a hint of devilishness… only occasionally looking up at the moon, recalling those extraordinary past events.
It wasn't until six years later that Kurusu Akira entered the Velvet Room for the first time and signed that contract.
At that moment, he finally understood what heavy responsibility and mission the girl named Shiomi Kotone had borne six years ago, and what noble resolve she held to reach the realm of the "universe."
And Kurusu Akira, inheriting this resolve, also rapidly grew with the help of the remaining members of S.E.E.S, repeatedly making those great criminals who attempted to subvert social order repent as a Phantom Thief.
Clink. The spoon pierced the cake, hitting the bottom of the porcelain plate with a crisp sound.
The Phantom Thief interrupted his wandering thoughts and looked at Iseri Nina sitting opposite him. "I'm going to the performing arts academy again later to visit Principal Shinba. You should go back to the hotel and rest first."
Iseri Nina's expression subtly changed for a moment, "You mean I have to eat dinner alone?"
"Is eating dinner alone such a big deal?"
"But you had dinner with someone else outside!"
"I've already had dinner. I can't just sit there watching you eat, can I?"
Immediately, a strong sense of unwillingness and disappointment flowed through Iseri Nina's heart… She herself couldn't figure out where this emotion came from or where it was directed, she just hesitated several times, then let out a small whimper like a cat asking for affection, her face full of dejection.
'This kid… is so hard to manage.'
Seeing her looking so aggrieved, as if she might burst into tears for no reason, Kurusu Akira's facial muscles twitched a few times, then he pushed the cake, with the spoon still in it, that he hadn't touched, towards her.
"President, aren't you eating?"
"Seeing you so hungry you're losing your mind and talking nonsense, how can I comfortably eat cake? Consider this a return favor for you treating me to dinner in Shimokitazawa last time."
"Mmm-hmm." Iseri Nina actually didn't stand on ceremony at all, grabbing the spoon and starting to devour it.
As she ate, she exclaimed indistinctly, "So cold."
Although she lamented this, her movements didn't stop. She continuously dug into the cake and stuffed it into her mouth, a naive and innocent smile blooming on her face.
Occasionally, the glances she cast at Kurusu Akira also revealed a sense of trust and reliance.
"This cake is a cold dessert anyway…" Kurusu Akira watched Iseri Nina eat the cake, and a sense of calm, like feeding a kitten, spontaneously arose within him.
She did look a little cute.
So the Phantom Thief took out his phone and pressed the shutter several times at his child.
"Mmm! Mmm!" Hearing the camera's shutter sound, Iseri Nina immediately glared at Kurusu Akira, puffing out her cheeks, but with her mouth full of cake, she couldn't speak.
No anger or embarrassment could be detected in her eyes; instead, there was a shy helplessness, even her protesting sounds seemed to carry a hint of coquetry.
At this moment, the Phantom Thief suddenly felt a little dazed.
He recalled a night many years ago during spring break in sixth grade, when Shiomi Kotone had also taken care of his willful and ignorant self in the school cafeteria, just like this...
While he was devouring the cake, she would even take out her low-pixel flip phone to snap a flurry of photos, then reveal a doting and gentle smile.
The Phantom Thief subconsciously reached for his lips, but there was no longer any cream or chocolate powder left from his ravenous eating, only an involuntary upward curve.
At this moment, he looked at Iseri Nina opposite him and found that the girl's right hand, holding the spoon, had stopped beside the plate. She had even forgotten to chew the cake in her mouth, staring blankly at him, wide-eyed and flushed.
Kurusu Akira tensed his expression, "Finish quickly, I'll take you back to the hotel."
He wasn't Shiomi Kotone, who could take advantage of such a moment to tease a child much younger than himself... He hadn't understood before, but after entering high school, he realized that senior might have truly harbored some rather perverse thoughts back then.
The cake on the plate gradually diminished.
The streetlights in the city lit up one by one.
Even with torrential rain pouring down, it still couldn't extinguish the passion for life.
The vibrant lights of the commercial street shimmered in the rain, creating a dazzling and intricate halo. The shouts of vendors, accompanied by distant car horns, brewed a sweet and intoxicating feeling like red wine, making passersby subconsciously forget the annoyance of the downpour and immerse themselves in the fleeting joy of post-drink indulgence and heartfelt revelations.
People always cheered when the lights came on at night; for many, night was the best time of day, the moment they most anticipated.
...
Kawasaki Performing Arts Academy.
Even at eight in the evening, it was still brightly lit here.
Girls eager for stardom sweated in the dance studios, dedicating their after-school free time and even their dating time, all just to gain the recognition of idol agencies with their graceful figures or beautiful looks and demeanor before graduation.
Even though several bizarre 'disappearance cases' and 'suicide cases' had occurred, girls waving money to come here to study acting were still ceaseless.
He walked up the stairs discreetly, head bowed, his messy hair and large plain glasses avoiding many unnecessary gazes.
Principal Shinba liked to arrange his office on the top floor of the building, and he had a floor-to-ceiling window installed.
Many times, this influential middle-aged man in the education sector would put on his glasses and read a book on humanities and philosophy by the floor-to-ceiling window, sometimes a famous domestic work, sometimes a foreign one.
Shinba Takakiyo slowly turned his chair to look at Kurusu Akira, who had stepped over the threshold.
He said, "What bad luck today, a heavy rain fell. To come specifically for a visit in such weather, you've really gone to a lot of trouble."
"After all, my travel plans fell through, so I took the opportunity to consult with Principal Shinba." There was nothing else to do; he really couldn't find any clues in the Mementos, so he could only probe the Principal again.
"As for academic matters, I can't help you with that." Shinba Takakiyo closed 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' in his hand. "However, as an elder decades older than you, I do have some experiences I can share with you."
The Principal gestured for Kurusu Akira to sit down, "The last time we met, I knew that Kurusu Akira possessed the insight and astuteness for a political career."
Kurusu Akira nodded. As he sat down, he subtly unlocked his phone, then his thumb began frantically tapping the icon for the Metaverse Navigator.
...As expected, there was no response.
He knew the enemy wouldn't expose a weakness so easily.
At this moment, Shinba Takakiyo's face was full of refinement and amiability, and with the tone of a seasoned veteran, he recounted his arduous student days in Tokyo to Kurusu Akira.
The Phantom Thief could only pretend to listen attentively.
After one story after another was told, Shinba Takakiyo finally took a sip of water, then smiled gently, "A boy like Amamiya, who has good grades and is handsome, must be very popular with girls."
Kurusu Akira nodded, "Just rejecting their love letters is a troublesome matter."
Shinba Takakiyo then cast an appreciative glance at Kurusu Akira, "Amamiya-san, I've always loved a Tang Dynasty poem from China: 'One day I shall stand on the highest peak, and all other mountains will appear small.' The meaning of this line, as I understand it, is that a person who aspires to climb to the summit, once they achieve their goal, many of the troubles that once bothered them will become insignificant and trivial."
"You, who managed to get first place in the grade in such a difficult entrance exam, should have some corresponding understanding of this line. How can you feel troubled by girls' affections?"
As he spoke, he revealed a somewhat mischievous smile, "Do you have a particularly favorite girl at school?"
Kurusu Akira immediately shook his head, his face filled with righteous indignation, unmoved by feminine charm, "Ever since I heard from Ito-sensei about the Principal's failed attempt to get into Tokyo University, I've been deeply moved—the Principal has shown me great kindness. Now, as a student of Shujin, I have the responsibility and obligation to dedicate my youth to improving my academic abilities, to strive for excellent results in next year's major exams, and to repay the school's cultivation with an admission letter from Tokyo University!"
Shinba Takakiyo looked at the 'Kansai Uesugi Kenshin' that Ito Misui had found for him, and was momentarily speechless.
He truly hadn't expected that a male student with excellent grades, handsome looks, and in the prime of his youth could utter such impassioned words...
But this contradicted the political insight he had displayed that day.
'Could this guy have already secretly connected with several high schools, constantly planning to transfer?'
Shinba Takakiyo's brows furrowed tightly.
He had gradually made his fortune in Kawasaki by running cram schools; he was more like a businessman than an educator.
Businessmen are always suspicious.
His considerable reputation and status in the education sector were all obtained through various 'resources' in repeated transactions, but even using this fame for advertising, the benefits it could provide to his performing arts academies and cram schools, whose scale had already expanded to near saturation, were negligible.
Shinba Takakiyo, who had made a fortune by collecting tuition fees and selling study materials, had always harbored a political ambition.
Thus, he had almost squandered more than half of his assets, seizing Shujin, this 'ownerless treasure land,' amidst numerous competing voices.
Shujin, this high school located near the city center with the potential to connect to popular universities, was his only opportunity to step into the political arena.
And the appearance of Kurusu Akira, this transfer student, was an even greater opportunity in his eyes, one that could help him push open the door to the political world!
The cool white light spilled onto the office desk, and the cover of 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' thus came into Shinba Takakiyo's sight.
Shinba Takakiyo's eyes darted around.
Perhaps money alone truly wasn't enough to buy the loyalty of this 'prodigy.'
He didn't believe that teenage boys would be completely uninterested in matters of love and romance... A genius like Kurusu Akira, who had the chance to enter Tokyo University, might even choose a political path upon graduation.
He had to bind him firmly to his faction while he was still young and before he had been exposed to too many temptations of power.
After all, among the resources Shinba Takakiyo currently possessed, talent had always been the most scarce.
A dangerous and dirty thought now emerged in Shinba Takakiyo's mind—
If Kurusu Akira were to personally participate in those 'transactions,' with evidence preserved, and then be coerced and enticed, he should be able to gain his absolute loyalty.
Just in time, Awa Tendou's granddaughter had been brought under control an hour ago and was probably already on her way to the branch school.
It was time to let this rebellious young man see the world.
At the same moment.
The moment he sensed the twisted desires that the other party no longer bothered to conceal, Kurusu Akira lowered his head to look at the phone on his lap.
The software named 'Metaverse Navigator' was finally opened.
A bright red eyeball rotated rapidly at the top of the page.
[Current Navigation: Shinba Takakiyo's Mind Palace.]
[Approximately 116 kilometers away.]
His eyes narrowed slightly. He thought of Ishihara, who had gone missing from Class A and couldn't be found anywhere in Tokyo, and then of the "out of control incidents" he'd seen in the news.
It was time to let this unforgivable old man witness the methods of the Phantom Thief.
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